Low rental yields in Spain.

Low rental yields (gross) imply that property prices have not fallen enough, according to new research by Idealista.com.

The highest gross rental yields in Spain are to be found in the Catalan province of Lerida (4.7pc), followed by Las Palmas in The Canaries (4.5pc) and Málaga, home to the Costa del Sol (4.3pc). These rental yields imply around 22 years of rental income to pay for the average property.

The lowest yields are in the North of Spain, with yields of just 2.9pc in the Galician province of La Coruña. That means the average property in La Coruña would cost almost 35 years of rent.

Idealista calculated rental yields per province for Q1 20011 by dividing the average rental asking-price by the average sales asking-price, both in terms of €/m2. Asking prices are not a perfect guide to market prices, but they are the best guide we have.

These figures do not distinguish between primary and holiday homes, and probably overstate expect gross rental yields for holiday-homes on the coast. Net rental yields for foreign owners are likely to be very low, in the 2pc range or less.

European property prices to improve?

European property prices set to improve?

European property prices set to improve?

Property prices across Europe are expected to fall at a slower rate as the economy starts to level out, according to a report released by Invista Real Estate Investment Management. Conditions for the economy in the eurozone during the first half of this year were the worst since it was formed, although signs are that things are starting to improve.

The European Central Bank reports that more European banks have increased their lending, while the cost of borrowing has fallen sharply. The report says that improving property yields could increase the long-term attractiveness of  investing in property.

Tim Francis, director, Continental European strategy and research at Invista, says: “With improved visibility on bottom-of-the-cycle valuations, we are in a better position to judge market pricing against fair value. This will assist in identifying attractive investment opportunities across these markets, some of which are experiencing distressed selling.”  We expect deal flow to improve during H2 2009 as the other mature continental European markets including Spain and Tenerife catch up.